Congratulations for such a
rare and interesting acquisition
quadrans. It makes me wonder why a
caduceus was used on the
reverse.
Around the time of
Hadrian the public
baths cost about 1
quadrans for a
man and 2 quadrantes for a woman. In Pompeii a surviving advertisement states the
price of a
cheap wine was 1 ass or 4 quadrantes. So the common people would be exchanging a lot of these coins for minor every day goods or services.
In later
Antiquity the
caduceus became a symbol of commerce and negotiation. The balanced form of the symbol reflects the ideal of a balanced exchange for mutual benefit.
So the intention of the symbolism on the
reverse might be to remind the users of the coin that they are living in an empire where goods and services can be fairly exchanged, and who can they thank for keeping this desirable condition in place?
The
portrait of their bearded emperor on the
obverse is there to remind them.
Best regards,
Steve
